The Associated Press reported that the driver, George Nathaniel, 54, was fired in Burnsville, Minn., four years ago for the exact same reason.

Quality Care Transportation removed Nathaniel from his route last week, the Star-Tribune newspaper reported. He began working for the company in January 2017 and drove children to Nasha Shkola, a charter school in Brooklyn Park focused on Russian language and culture.

He started folding prayer into the bus ride this winter. “The students would volunteer to lead the prayer,” Nathaniel said, according to The AP.